Read moreIt was to be expected... How can James Bond, a dominant white hero, seductive, sexist and macho, even racist for some, still have his place in the 21st century? The publishers of Ian Fleming's novels have sensed the winds of change and have decided to modernise the sagas with a view to a forthcoming publication to mark the 70th anniversary of 007 this year. According to the daily newspaper The Telegraph, Ian Fleming Publications, which holds the literary rights, called on "sensivity readers", a sort of reading committee in tune with the ambient wokism, to identify terms and offenses in the text that could shock certain readers. And there was a lot of work, as Ian Fleming, author of the 1950s, let his pen run over the paper to sketch the portrait of a 007 fond of women, cigarettes and Vodka Martini, arriving in countries as a conqueror to try to save the planet... The Telegraph thus informs us that several scenes from the book Live and Let Die (1954) have been revised, like the one where the hero is in a strip club in Harlem: "Bond could hear the audience gasping and grunting like pigs at the trough", was suddenly shortened to "Bond could feel the electric tension in the room". READ ALSO Rewriting by Roald Dahl: "The law is in favor of the wokes" Another modified passage, when Bond allows himself a reflection on Africans encountered in a diamond market: "They are rather law-abiding guys, except when they have drunk too much", a sentence which was cut out completely: "They are rather law-abiding guys", period. Generally speaking, any racial reference has been removed or toned down, the word "negro" sometimes used is now banned, and the black barman has become a simple barman, a black gangster a gangster, etc. The hand of the proofreaders has nevertheless allowed a few slip-ups to pass, notes the British daily, doubtless to avoid overly sanitizing Her Gracious Majesty's spy. We thus find remarks on women incapable of doing "a man's job" and on homosexuality presented as "a stubborn handicap". Certain ethnic groups, such as Asians, are also said to still be the subject of some caricatures...DisclaimerAnd to be sure to avoid any lawsuits or lynchings, publishers will now include a "disclaimer" on the first pages of novels - a practice that unfortunately risks becoming widespread. "This book was written at a time when words and attitudes that might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. A number of updates have been made to this edition, while remaining as close as possible to the original text and the time of its creation. "To justify this spring cleaning, the publishing house points out that Ian Fleming himself authorized, before his death in 1964, the modification of certain passages or erotic scenes so as not to offend the American public, notably for Live and Let Die. An evolution that seems inevitable if James Bond wants to continue to attract crowds… The films in the saga have also changed enormously since the 1960s, the older installments remaining strongly marked by their era, which also gives them a slightly subversive retro charm." The latest films with Daniel Craig have tried to show a more sensitive, more vulnerable spy, a socially acceptable macho, in an attempt to make his character fit into the new century. And for die-hard fans of the post-war 007, the first editions are still available…
IIt was to be expected… How James Bond, dominant white hero, seducer, sexist and macho, even racist for some, can still have its place in the 21st century? The editors of the novels of Ian Fleming have sensed the wind changing and have decided to modernize the sagas with a view to a forthcoming publication on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of 007 this year. According to the daily The Telegraph, Ian Fleming Publications, which owns the literary rights, has called on "sensitivity readers", a sort of reading committee in tune with the ambient wokeness, to identify terms and offenses in the text that could shock certain readers.
And there was a lot of work as Ian Fleming, author of the 1950s, let his pen run over the paper to sketch the portrait of a 007 fond of women, cigarettes and Vodka Martini, arriving in countries as a conqueror to try to save the planet... The Telegraph thus teaches us that several scenes from the book Live and let die (1954) were revised, such as the one where the hero finds himself in a Harlem strip club: "Bond could hear the audience gasping and grunting like pigs at the watering hole" was suddenly shortened to "Bond could feel the electric tension in the room."
READ ALSORewriting Roald Dahl: “The law is in favor of the woke” Another modified passage, when Bond allows himself a reflection on Africans encountered in a diamond market: "They're pretty law-abiding guys, except when they've had too much to drink", a sentence that was cut outright: "They're pretty law-abiding guys", period. Generally speaking, any racial references have been removed or toned down, the word "nigger" sometimes used is now banned, and the black bartender has become a simple bartender, a black gangster a gangster, etc.
The proofreaders' hand did, however, allow a few slip-ups, notes the British daily, probably to avoid overly sanitizing Her Gracious Majesty's spy. There are remarks about women being incapable of doing "a man's job" and homosexuality being presented as "a stubborn handicap." Certain ethnic groups, such as Asians, are also said to still be the subject of a few caricatures...
Disclaimer
And to make sure they avoid any lawsuits or lynchings, publishers will now include a "disclaimer" in the first pages of novels - a practice that unfortunately risks becoming more widespread. "This book was written at a time when words and attitudes that could be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. A number of updates have been made to this edition, while remaining as close as possible to the original text and the time of its creation."
To justify this spring cleaning, the publishing house recalls that Ian Fleming himself had authorized before his death in 1964 the modification of certain passages or erotic scenes so as not to offend the American public, in particular for Live and let die.
An evolution that seems inevitable if James Bond wants to continue to attract crowds... The films of the saga have also changed enormously since the 1960s, the old opuses remaining strongly marked by their era, which gives them a slightly subversive retro charm. The latest films with Daniel Craig tried to show a more sensitive, vulnerable spy, a socially acceptable macho, to try to make his character fit the new century. And for die-hard fans of the post-war 007, the first editions are still available...
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